By Norman Katende

Staff and patients have abandoned over nine health centres in Amuru district due to the failure by the National Medical Stores (NMS) to supply them with drugs for over a year.

Among those health facilities abandoned is the sh120m Apaa Medical centre, which was constructed under the office of the Prime minister projects.

The centre, which has two houses, had a health assistant and three medical nurses to serve the population of Apaa and its neighbouring districts but after failing to get the drugs they entire team relocated to Pabo town.

The residents of the area have since then resorted to using traditional (herbal) medicines and self-medication.

“It was the nurses that first left after seeing that they had nothing to treat their patients with and also feared that the community might end up shifting blame on and attack them,” the LCIII chairman for Pabo county Christopher Ojera said.

“Most of them have resettled in Pabo to wait for the arrival of drugs. It is now over six months without getting drugs.”

He said that over eight health centres across the county have been forced to close.

“There are no drugs yet we have written letter to the district and National Medical stores with no results at all. We have also tried to request the area MPs and other politicians to try and meet these people to see that we at least get the basic drugs like for malaria and save the people from dying,” Ojera sounded disappointed.

He added that so many lives have been lost because of the long distance to other health units in the districts of Pabo, Gulu and Adjumani, also worsened by the poor state of the roads.

Source: New Vision

www.newvision.co.ug/section/53-10-Health.html